The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1887-06-09
FARMS AND FARMERS.
Short Talks With Farmers on Farm
Topics.
SPEED THE o

It is very important at this Time TO
keep the plows going. If possible,
plow over every field once a week.
The crops need pushing now. Cotton
needs it, that it may make stalk and
be ready for fruiting. It will now be
gathering materials to make Dolls.
These materials will be distributed at
first through stalk and leaf, but subse-
%quently will be transferred to the
bolls. We sometims talk as if plants
exhausted the soil most whilst perfect
ing seed. The truth is they take COM
pa%ratively little after Towering, when
the Towering is not continuous and
successive, as in the case Of cotton.
The crop is gathering food till late-in
autumn, because it continues to grow.
apparent exhaustion in some ase is
due to the fact that the transfer of
materials after Towering takes place
first from the lower part of the plant,
that which is next the ground. Har-
vested after seeding, the stubble left
on the land will, therefore, be the
poorest part of the plant in fertilizing
materials. If cut before seeding, the
stubble will be richer and more of
that which had been taken from the
soil will be returned to it in the stubble.
The roots Of plants r now pushing
in every direction through the soil in
search of food. To keep healthy and
do their work properly they must
have air. Cut off from air roots die.
This happens, for instance, in water
sogged soil. Water keeps air from
them. Hard crusts on the surface do
the same thing. Break them, there
fore, as fast as they form. Run the
pillow shallow /; if the surface is stirred,
the air will find it's way to the roots.
Running the plows deep will give air
to the roots, but it will give death to
them also by cutting them off. Some
farmers pillow their crops, as if a plant
had but one root and that grew direct
ly downwards. Put the best and
most careful hands behind the plows-
good blowing w hard hoeing. See
that the plows are properly adjusted
to do their best work. This cannot be
left to a negro he will adjust it, so
it will rum easiest to him, and so it
will throw the most dirt. The negro
is a great believer in throwing dirt to
plants-he doesn't think a pillow is do
ing anything, if it does not throw dirt.
On the contrary, the crop needs level,
fiat culture to keep the soil from dry
ing too rapidly. 1t is well enough to
bed up land in early spring and let it
get rid of some of the excessive mois-
ture from winter rains. But no beds
are needed now. We want to hold,
not lose moisture.
If cotton has not been brought to a
final stand, it should be done at once.
We do not fully realize that one stalk
Of cotton growing near another, robs
it of food and moisture, just as a weed
does. Get rid, therefore, of super
fuous cotton stalks, just as promptly
as you would get rid of weeds. If
your land is good, give ample distance
to each stalk. When two stalks are
left in a hill all the plant food used up
in making one stalk (where the land
makes a good-sized weedl might be
thrown into fruit on the one stalk. It
takes nitrogen and potash and phospho-
ric acid to make stalks, and whatever
of these fertilizers is delivered into
making superfuous stalks, is so much
lost to making fruit.-W. l.. j., in
atlanta Constitution.
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